Perambulator

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a perambulator. The perambulator wheels are, at each side of the perambulator, in pairs (5, 6) mounted to the undercarriage by means of a pivoting element (7) which is pivotable around one longitudinal axle fixed to the undercarriage. The wheels can be pivoted into the undercarriage, which, with the wheels pivoted in, can be placed into the carriage body (8), whereby the perambulator requires little space when it is out of use.

The present invention is concerned with a perambulator.

In prior art perambulators, the carriage body is supported by lateralsupports attached to arms that can be folded up and down like scissors,the rear pair of arms being extended so as to form the pushing bow ofthe perambulator. Thereby, the body can be lowered so as to restdirectly on the undercarriage, whereas the frame remains as ofsubstantially unchanged size, despite the fact that the wheels of theperambulator can usually be detached from the wheel axles passingthrough the undercarriage. A push carriage of so-called normalsize anddesigned mainly for sitting is folded together in the same way.Moreover, there are carriages of very light construction that are foldedtogether side-ways, the said light constructions being, however, notsuitable for perambulators.

The object of the present invention is to provide a novel perambulatorof simple construction and operation and which can be folded together toa considerably smaller size than prior-art perambulators.

The perambulator in accordance with the invention is mainlycharacterized in that the wheels of the peraxbulator are, in pairs ateach side of the perambulator, mounted to the undercarriage by means ofa pivoting element pivotable around one longitudinal axle, attached tothe undercarriage, between an outer driving position and an innerresting position inside the undercarriage, over an angle of about 270°.

In a preferred embodiment, the pivoting element comprises a pivotingprofile provided with a part that, in the driving position of thepivoting element, projects from the undercarriage, means of suspensionof the respective pairs of wheels being fixed to the said projectingpart, and with a part extending from the said projecting part towardsthe undercarriage, the pivoting element being arranged to be locked inthe driving position by co-operation with supporting arms of thecarriage body.

Thus, in the perambulator in accordance with the invention, the wheelscan be swung in completely in the lateral direction, e.g. into a basketfor merchandise placed on the frame structure of the undercarriage, thesaid basket being preferably narrow enough so that it can be, in itsturn, placed into the carriage body, whereby a decisive economy of spaceis achieved as compared with prior-art perambulators. In the innerposition, the wheels are placed in pairs one pair above the other, inthe outer position the pivoting element is locked at each side of theundercarriage automatically when the supporting arms of the carriagebody are turned up to the supporting position.

The part of the pivoting profile of the pivoting element projecting fromthe undercarriage and the suspension means of the respective pairs ofwheels are advantageously dimensioned in such a way in relation to eachother in the lateral direction that the wheel suspension meansalternatively can be fixed to the inside of the pivoting profile,whereat the width of the wheels can be varied; a narrower width can beused if a carriage seat is mounted on the undercarriage.

The wheel suspension means attached to the pivoting profile ispreferably provided with a hood with pivot shafts for the forks of thefront and rear wheels and with mutually compensating springs for thelatter, e.g., in the form of a leaf spring attached to one fork aboveits pivot shaft and to the other fork below its pivot shaft.

Such a compensating suspension remarkably reduces the tendency of theperambulator to tip forwards or rearwards in the case of uneven loadingat either end, and, at the same time, it is capable of noticeablyattenuating the inclination of the perambulator forwards and rearwardswhen moving over recesses or elevations, such as pavement edges.

In order to avoid unnecessary weight and consumption of material, theextension of the pivoting element in the longitudinal direction of thecarriage is relatively little, whereby the supporting arms are mountednear the middle of the undercarriage. The upper parts of the supportingarms are therefore directed towards the front end and the rear end ofthe perambulator, and at the upper ends the arms are in pairs connectedby means of transverse carrying supports for the carriage body. Thebottom face of the body is preferably provided with catches for contactagainst the transverse carrying supports in the direction opposite themovement of pivoting-down of the supporting arms. Hereby, the force thatis directed by the carriage body at the supporting arms and that tendsto pivot these down is substantially absorbed by the catches at thebottom face of the body, whereas the load between the bottom ends of thesupporting arms and the locking means holding them remains little.

In the following, the invention will be described in detail withreference to an exemplifying embodiment shown in the attached drawing.

FIG. 1 shows the perambulator in the driving position.

FIG. 2 shows the wheel suspension means.

FIG. 3 shows the undercarriage of the perambulator with the wheelspivoted into a merchandise basket.

FIG. 4 shows the installation of the supporting arms of the carriagebody at the bottom thereof.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the pivoting element in the drivingposition.

FIG. 5A is a similar sectional view with the pivoting element swung-in.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a frame plate.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the frame plate.

FIGS. 8 to 12 shows the pushing bow structure of the perambulator indifferent positions.

The undercarriage of the perambulator comprises two transverse frametubes 1 and 2, formed as a wide U, whose upwardly directed shanks are ateach side interconnected by a frame plate 3. On the bottom of the frametubes 1, 2, a merchandise basket 4 is placed. The wheels 5, 6 of theperambulator are mounted in pairs at each side to the undercarriage bymeans of a pivoting element generally denoted with 7. The carriage body8 is carried by two support arms 9, 10, which are mounted to theundercarriage as pivotable around axles 11, 12, which are most clearlyseen in FIGS. 3 and 5A.

It is an essential specific feature of the invention that the pivotingelement 7 at each side of the perambulator, together with the respectivepair of wheels 5, 6, is, after folding-down of the support arms 9, 10,pivotable around a single longitudinal axle 13 attached to theundercarriage, seen in FIGS. 5 and 5A, from the driving position shownin FIGS. 1 and 5 to an inward resting position, wherein each pivotingelement with wheels is as a whole positioned inside the U-shanks of theundercarriage, on the bottom of the merchandise basket 4, FIG. 3. Thecarriage body 8, again, is preferably made to such an extent wider thanthe undercarriage that the undercarriage with the merchandise basket andwith the swung-in wheels can be placed in the carriage body, wherebyadditional space saving is achieved.

A preferred construction of the pivoting element 7 is shown in FIGS. 5and 5A, which also illustrate the swinging-in of the pivoting element.The pivoting element is provided with a pivoting profile 14 journalledaround a longitudinal axle 13 mounted on the frame plate 3 in twobrackets 19, and with a part 15 projecting outwards from theundercarriage in the driving position, FIG. 5, and with a part 16extending from the part 15 inwards towards the undercarriage, theinnermost portion of part 16 being provided with a groove 17. Thepivoting profile is kept in the position shown in FIG. 5 by the bottomend of the upwardly turned support arm 10, entering into the groove 17,preferably so that the end of the support arm is supported against thebottom of the groove 17, whereat the load of the body 8 on the axle 12is reduced. Unintentional folding-down of the support arm 10 isprevented by a locking member 18. After the locking member has beenswung free from the support arm 10, the arm can be turned out of itsengagement with the groove 17, and the pivoting profile can thereupon bepivoted in to the position shown in FIG. 5A.

The locking member 18 is pivotable around an axle 20 mounted to thefastening brackets 19 of the frame plate 3, in a journalling 21permitting a displacement in the pivoting plane. The locking member iskept in the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 5A by means of a springelement 22, which may be a metal wire supported in slits 23 in thefastening brackets 19 and arranged so as to run in a slit 24 in thelocking member. The locking member is further provided with a handle 25,a stop flange 26 limiting its pivoting outwards, and with a retentionpart 27. The retention part 27 is dimensioned so that, when the lockingmember 18 is pivoted clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 5, itcollides against the edge 29 of the groove 17, whereat the entirelocking member is lifted up in the journalling 21, and after theretention part 27 has by-passed the edge 29, the spring 22 presses thelocking member back downwards so that the retention part 27 reachescontact with the edge 29 from the left in FIG. 5. The arm 10 can now beturned down unhindered, whereupon the pivoting profile 14 can be swungin, whereupon the locking member, being pressed by the spring 22,returns to the position shown in FIG. 5A with the stop flange 26 incontact against the edge 28 of an opening formed in the merchandisebasket 4. The edge 28 is placed so low down that the retention part 27is free from it.

When the pivoting profile 14 is pivoted out of the position of FIG. 5A,the edge 29 of the groove 17 goes free from the retention part 27 intocontact against the outside of the edge 28 of the merchandise basket.The arm 10 is then pivoted up, whereat its bottom end first pushes offthe retention part 27 to the left in FIG. 5, owing to the spring 22,however, not further than that the retention part 27 rests on the egde29, and, once the arm 10 has by-passed the retention part 27 and reachedvertical position, the spring 22 brings out the locking memberautomatically to the position shown in FIG. 5. As regards thelast-mentioned step, reference is also made to FIG. 3, wherein theretention part 27 is seen. In the turned-up position the arm 9 liesbetween the tube 1 and the retention part 27, whereas the arm 10 liesbetween the retention part 27 and the tube 2.

As also comes out from FIG. 1, the tubes 1 and 2 constitute limitingstops for the bottom ends of the arms 9 and 10 when turned up. The pivotaxles 11 and 12 of the arms are located at different levels and may bemounted to holders 30 enclosing the tubes 1 and 2, which holders 30 areagain anchored to the fastening brackets 19 of the frame plate 3, e.g.,by means of bolts passing through the holders 30 and the tubes 1 and 2,the said bolts being schematically denoted with numerals 31 and 32 inFIGS. 3 and 5A. The holders 30 of the tubes 1 and 2 are preferablyidentical, FIG. 3 is in this respect inexact.

An embodiment of the frame plate 3 is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Anappropriate starting point is a long profile, whose form comes out fromFIG. 7 and which is cut off to frame plates of desired length. The parts19 resembling rods serve as fastening brackets for the axles 13 and 20,for which bores 13a and 20a, respectively, are formed, as well as forthe bolts 31 and 32, whose bores are not shown. The edge flanges 3a areattached to the merchandise basket 4, the faces 3b may be toothed orgrooved.

An embodiment of the suspension of the wheels is shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5and 5A. On the outside of part 15 of the pivoting profile, a hood 33 isprovided, being attached to the pivoting profile, e.g., by means ofbolts 34 and 35, which at the same time serve as pivot axles for thewheel forks 36 and 37. A compensating spring system for the forks 36 and37 is provided preferably by means of a simple leaf spring 38 attachedto the bottom side of one fork 36 and to the top side of the other fork37. The hood 33 is dimensioned so that it can be mounted alternativelyinside the pivoting profile 14, as is shown in FIG. 5A.

At the bottom of the hood 33, a brake device is mounted, e.g.,comprising two forks 39, schematically shown only in FIG. 1, the saidforks extending to both sides of the respective wheels 5 and 6, and thesaid forks being connected with a lever 40 turnable by means of aneccenter 41 driven by an arm 42 to a stable position in which the forksare in engagement with the sides of the tires of the wheels 5 and 6. Inorder to improve the locking of the wheels, the sides of the tires maybe provided with projecting friction knobs 43. As a rule, it issufficient to provide a brake device at one side of the carriage only.The lever 40, the eccenter 41, and the arm 42 are shown in FIGS. 5 and5A. A brake of another type, likewise preferably mounted to the pivotingelement 7, may of course be considered.

The lower support points of the support arms 9 and 10 of the carriagebody 8 are placed close to each other in the pivoting element 7, and theupper portions of the support arms are therefore directed towards theends of the carriage body in order to obtain adequate stability. Aconsequence hereof is that the carriage body 8, by means of its weighton the transverse carrying supports 9a, 10a, tends to fold the supportarms 9 and 10 down. In order to avoid an intensive load between thebottom ends of the support arms and the retention part 27 of the lockingmember 18, stops 44 and 45 are formed in the bottom face of the carriagebody 8, the said stops lying against the carrying supports 9a and 10afrom the ends of the carriage body.

Preferably at the rear stop 44, a locking device 46 is attached asdisplaceable in a holder 47. In the open position, the handle of thelocking device 46 extends beyond the rear edge of the carriage body andthereby indicates that the body 8 is not locked on the support arms. Inthe closed position, shown in FIG. 4, the locking device 46 extendsunderneath and beyond the carrying support 9a, its end being received bya support holder 48 attached to a portion 49 of the body bottom, placedin the same plane as the stop 44, so that a groove is formed betweenthis portion 49 and the stop 44 for receiving the carrying support 9a.

Forwards from the said stop portion 49, in the body bottom, a recess 50is formed which ends at the stop 45 for the carrying support 10a. Theside edges 51 of the recess 50 function as guides for the carryingsupport 10a and are preferably shaped so that they correspond to theform of the end portions of the said support 10a.

The carriage body 8 is placed in its position so that the bottom isfirst placed onto the carrying support 10a, e.g., approximately at themiddle of the recess 50, whereupon the body is pulled rearwards untilthe carrying support 10a lies against the stop 45, and the rear end ofthe body is placed down onto the carrying support 9a, which fits hereatinto the groove between the stops 44 and 49. The locking device 46 ispushed into the position shown in FIG. 4; lifting of the front end ofthe body is again prevented by the stops 52 mounted on the stop 45,extending to underneath the carrying support 10a. The body 8 lies alsoin the lateral direction steadily on the carrying supports owing to theedges 51 of the recess 50 and to the corresponding shape of the groovebetween the stops 44 and 49.

In the perambulator in accordance with the present invention, thedriving bow can preferably be mounted on the carriage body. An exampleof a construction of driving bow is shown in FIGS. 8 to 12. At eachshank of the driving bow 53, at the joints 54 and 55, respectively, twoarms 56 and 57 are fixed, which are again pivotable around theirfastening points 58 and 59 at the side of the carriage body 8. Thelength of the link arm 56, taken between the link joint 54 and thefastening point 58, is the same as the distance between the fasteningpoints 58 and 59. The driving bow 53 together with the arms 56 and 57can thereby be pivoted from the driving position shown in FIG. 8 via anintermediate position shown in FIG. 9, wherein the joint 54 is facingthe fastening point 59, indicated in FIG. 9 by means of an arrow, eitherto a folded position shown in FIG. 10, wherein the driving bow 53substantially follows the edges of the body 8, or to a carrying positionshown in FIG. 12, wherein the driving bow 53 is placed approximately atthe middle above the carriage body 8. FIG. 11 illustrates anintermediate position from FIG. 9 to FIG. 12.

The driving bow 53 is locked in the position of FIG. 8 against pivotingdownwards by means of a hook 61 attached pivotably, the said hookgrasping underneath an extension 60 of the arm 57 beyond the link point55. The fastening point 62 of the hook 61 is seen in FIGS. 9 to 12.Against pivoting further upwards, the driving bow 53 is locked in theposition of FIG. 8, by means of a stop 63 visible in FIGS. 9 to 12,against which the arm 57 or its extension 60 lies from below. In thesame way, the driving bow is locked in the carrying position of FIG. 12,even though the hook 61 is not visible there. In connection with thelocking hook 61, a carrying hook 64 for a bag or equivalent is alsoformed.

Alternative embodiments instead of the locking hook 61 shown may, ofcourse, be conceived. Thus, for example, a short bushing may be placedat the joint 55 between the driving bow 53 and the arm 57, whereat apivotable hook can be brought into engagement around the said bushing;in this case, the hook would be placed in its own pivoting plane and notperpendicularly to that plane, like in the drawing. No locking devicehas been shown for the position shown in FIG. 10; one possible devicemight be a grasping member pivotable in a plane perpendicular to theplane of the figure and attached to the edge of the body 8. Acorresponding locking arrangement is provided at the other side of thecarriage body, not shown in the drawing.

The invention is, of course, not confined to the embodiment shown in thedrawing only. The part 15 of the pivoting profile 14 may pass directlydown to the groove 17 if one is prepared to abandon the possibility tovary the width of installation of the wheels, and the groove 17 does nothave to be continuous. The pivot shaft 13 of the pivoting profile may beplaced further to the right in FIGS. 5 and 5A if the top edge of theframe plate 3 between the shaft fastening brackets 19 is made lower, sothat a pivoting movement of the pivoting profile by about 270° is notprevented. The flange 26 of the pivotable locking member 18 does nothave to lie against the edge 28 of the merchandise basket 4, but theframe plate 3 may run correspondingly lower down and be provided with anopening for the retention part 27. The merchandise basket 4 may beomitted entirely, in which case the wheels would, in the swung-inposition, lie with their forks on the frame tubes 1 and 2. The frameplate 3 and the frame tube holders 30 may be made of one piece. Theconstruction of the driving bow in accordance with the FIGS. 8 to 12 hasbeen included in the description only in order to give an example of acomplete embodiment of the perambulator; other embodiments of drivingbows may very well be employed in themselves without affecting theconstruction underneath the carriage body, which constructionconstitutes the essence of the invention within the scope of thefollowing patent claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A perambulator comprising:a carriage body havingtwo pairs of pivotable support arms attached to a bottom face of saidcarriage body, each of said pairs of support arms having upper endsconnected by means of transverse carrying supports. the bottom face ofsaid carriage body being provided with stops for contact against saidtransverse carrying supports in the direction opposite a downwardpivoting movement of the support arms; an undercarriage having a pair ofwheels on each side thereof and a means of suspension for each pair ofwheels; each of said pair of wheels being mounted on each side of saidundercarriage by a pivoting element pivotable around one longitudinalaxle attached to the undercarriage, said pivoting element pivoting saidwheels between an outer driving position and an inner resting positioninside the undercarriage, over an angle of about 270°; said pivotingelement including a profile having a first part that, in the drivingposition of the pivoting element, projects outward from theundercarriage, said means for suspension of said respective pairs ofwheels being fixed to said first part, and said profile having a secondpart extending from said projecting first part inward towards theundercarriage for abutment thereto in the driving position, and meansfor locking said pivoting element in the driving position by cooperationwith the support arms of the carriage body.
 2. A perambulator as claimedin claim 1, characterized in that the longitudinal pivot axle (13) ofeach pivoting element (7) is fixed to a frame plate (3) connected withvertical support members (1, 2) of the undercarriage, that above theupper ends of the said respective vertical support member (1, 2) andinside these members, relative to the longitudinal direction of theperambulator, transverse pivot axles (11, 12) are mounted for thesupport arms (9, 10) of the carriage body (8), so that the verticalsupport members (1, 2) constitute stops for the bottom ends of thesupport arms on pivoting movement of the support arms to the upwardlypivoted position intended for carrying the carriage body (8), that alocking member (18) is provided between the support arms (9, 10) belowtheir pivot axles (11, 12) for retaining the support arms (9, 10) in theupwardly pivoted position and that the second part (16) of the pivotingprofile (14) of the pivoting element (7) extending towards theundercarriage is provided with recesses, in the form of a longitudinalgroove (17), for receiving the bottom ends of the support arms (9, 10)when these are in the upwardly pivoted position.
 3. A perambulator asclaimed in claim 1, characterized in that the spring arrangement of thewheel forks (36, 37) comprises a leaf spring (38) attached to one fork(37) above its pivot axle (35) and to the other fork (36) below itspivot axle (34).
 4. A perambulator as claimed in claim 1 characterizedin that upper ends of the support arms (9, 10) of the carriage body arepivotable and in pairs connected by means of transverse carryingsupports (9a, 10a) and that the bottom face of the carriage body (8) isprovided with stops (44, 45) for contact against the said transversecarrying supports (9a, 10a) in the direction opposite the movement ofpivoting-down of the support arms.
 5. A perambulator as claimed in claim4, characterized in that at least at one of the stops (44), a lockingdevice (46) is provided as fixed to the bottom of the carriage body anddisplaceable to underneath the respective transverse carrying support(9a), the said locking device being preferably formed so that, in theopen position, it projects out of the nearest end of the carriage body.